The Sierra Leonean Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr Haja Ramatulai Wurie, has charged young people to always work hard and reduce temptations of playing to the gallery.
She gave the charge while delivering the 41st Convocation Lecture of UNILORIN titled “From Lecture Hall to Cabinet Room: The Journey from Academia to Public Leadership” at the University Auditorium.
Describing herself as an academic in public administration, she charged leaders to lead with substance, purpose and evidence, and build people and institutions that will outlast them.
She said being young and female in public leadership brings visibility and responsibility to lead with substance, urging leaders to remain anchored in purpose and remember who their work is for.
She advised leaders to be prepared, consistent and evidence-minded, build alliances, seek counsel and avoid isolation. She urged them to treat scrutiny as accountability and remain open to challenge and correction.
She stressed need to design systems around people with clear information, disability inclusion, support for low-connectivity environments and strong data privacy.
On research and policy, she said research should begin with national needs: “What does a nation need to know? Which evidence would improve a decision?”
She said universities should serve as national problem-solving institutions, providing knowledge, innovation, talent, policy evidence, entrepreneurship and leadership.
She called for partnerships that build capability rather than dependency, based on mutual respect, shared ownership, complementary expertise, capacity development and shared outcomes, citing JAMB technical cooperation and Nigerian Technical Aid Corps volunteers.
She stressed that people are infrastructure and barriers affecting women, girls and persons with disabilities must be removed.
On personal leadership, she advocated Pause to create space, Reflect to learn, and Raise the Bar by turning insight into better next step.
While emphasising continuous learning, she listed four takeaways: learning deeply, serving sincerely, staying teachable and raising the bar. She urged leaders to move from knowledge to service, from service to leadership, and from leadership to impact.
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